Vander Mey (1988) has listed factors of familial abuse in father-son and mother-son incest groupings. Included for both groupings are sexually abused as a child and abuse of alcohol by parents. Included for mothers are mother- dominated household, mother single, low household income, and evidence of emotional/mental problems. Included for fathers are father-dominated household, low socioeconomic status, other siblings abused, evidence of parental marital discord, evidence of physical abuse of children/wife, father fearful of homosexuality, and an emotionally distant mother who is collusive and hostile toward males. The study evaluated the extent to which these risk factors were evident in a clinical sample of 12 prepuberal boys referred to the author through the welfare system. All of the boys in the sample came from socioeconomically depressed areas of Sydney, Australia. The perpetrators of sexual abuse were five single mothers, four fathers, one uncle, and two defacto fathers with the mother of the child acting as a co- offender. Study data indicate that the factors most likely to influence the occurrence of sexual abuse of young males are living in a female sole-parent family of low socioeconomic status where the mother suffers from a schizophrenic illness and/or abuses drugs or alcohol, and where there is a history of violent maternal or paternal behavior. Limitations of the study are discussed. 1 table and 3 references